An entertaining intrigue centered around a sinister family conspiracy.
The huge appeal of Bridgerton on Netflix and the resounding success of Baby Reindeer at the latest Emmy Awards, where it took home four trophies, including Best TV Miniseries, might lead us to believe these are the most-watched shows of 2024. Especially in the case of the latter, being one of those highly recommended Netflix miniseries and short series, the kind you binge-watch over a weekend, especially since it’s marketed as “based on true events.”
But nothing could be further from the truth. To our surprise, the most-watched Netflix series so far in the first half of 2024 is Deception, which, according to figures provided by the streaming platform itself, has accumulated 108 million viewers worldwide, pulling ahead of its immediate runner-up, Baby Reindeer, the Richard Gadd series with 88 million viewers. Rounding out the Top 3 most-watched is The Gentlemen: The Series, the notable spin-off of the 2019 film starring Matthew McConaughey and also directed by Guy Ritchie, which has reached 76 million viewers globally. Interestingly, all three of this year’s most-watched series come from the United Kingdom.
With rather scarce promotion, Deception is the dark horse of the year, whose success can be attributed to two factors: its miniseries format (with only eight episodes) and belonging to a genre that has become a sure bet—the thriller. It’s worth remembering that this could be one of the best suspense series to get hooked on, just in case you’ve already memorized Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Anatomy of a Scandal, and The Watcher, among others.
After spotting her supposedly deceased husband on a surveillance camera, Deception presents the story of ex-soldier Maya Stern and how she uncovers a dark family conspiracy that dates back to the 1990s. An interesting premise that, in some ways, might slightly remind us of Succession, the last great series from Max.
In this case, the series starring Michelle Keegan (in an excellent role) and Richard Armitage won’t change your life, and we can rule out it being featured on that tempting list of the most anticipated series of 2024 and the best premieres. But its excellent setting, combined with its great pace (you definitely won’t get bored), and its incredible plot twists will keep you glued to the couch because it’s top-notch entertainment and the perfect choice for a good binge-watch.
